November
10, 2006
Gallaudet Rallies Past Haverford in Five Game Battle, 3-2
HUNTINGDON, PA – Third-seeded Haverford
College had its first-ever NCAA Division III Volleyball Regional
Final match in its sights, as the Fords led Gallaudet two games
to one, and had the Bison on the brink of NCAA postseason elimination
with a 14-12 lead in game five. However, Gallaudet's NCAA postseason
experience became evident in games four and five. The second-seeded
Bison took game four from the Fords, and put together four straight
points to close out game five, en route to their, 3-2 (27-30, 30-23,
28-30, 30-22, 16-14), victory over Haverford, in an over two hour
match early Friday evening, held on the campus of top-seeded Regional
host Juniata College. Haverford's 2006 season comes to a heartbreaking
end, as the Fords finish their campaign with a 25-5 overall record.
Gallaudet (30-9 overall) will move on to its second NCAA Regional
Final in as many years, and will face the winner of the Juniata/fourth-seeded
Eastern match, which will be held later Friday evening.
Haverford was able to capture game one from Gallaudet, 30-27,
and put together an impressive .260 hitting percentage in the game.
The Bison were able to adjust to the Fords style of play in the
second game, as Gallaudet took the second game from Haverford, 30-23.
The third game saw both teams keep pace with each other throughout,
however, it was the Fords who took the game, 30-28. Gallaudet came
out hot in the fourth game, starting the frame with a 5-0 run. The
Bison never looked back in game four, taking it from the Fords,
30-22. The fifth and deciding game saw Haverford build a 14-12 advantage.
Haverford was not able to capitalize on its match-point serve, which
proved to be costly. Gallaudet rallied to take a 15-14 lead, and
put the match, and Haverford's season away, after a kill by outside
hitter Tamijo Foronda.
Haverford freshman outside hitter, Rebecca Salvo, who was announced
as an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection prior to the
match, led Haverford with a career-high 35 digs along with 14 kills.
Freshman middle hitter Rachel Salvo led Haverford's offense with
17 kills along with a match-high five blocks. Rachel Salvo also
collected 24 digs. Junior outside hitters Laura Nuyen and Dana Mullenhard
had 15 kills and 12 kills, respectively, while Nuyen also collected
22 digs. Junior setter Emily Hinchcliff also registered a double-double,
dishing out 53 assists while collecting 23 digs.
Gallaudet was led by Foronda, who had a match-high 28 digs along
with 24 digs, while Kristina Burke also paced the Bison's offense
with 25 kills. Gallaudet setter Pia Marie Paulone dished out a match-high
67 assists in the Bison's victory.
The Fords 25 victories in 2006 are the most for the volleyball program
since the 2000 squad posted 30 wins. Haverford's five losses on
the season tie the fewest all-time in program history since the
1986 team went 18-5. The squad's .833 winning percentage also ties
the 2000 team (30-6 overall) for best winning percentage in program
history. 2006 also saw the Fords capture its first ever Centennial
Conference Championship, NCAA Postseason victory, and head coach
Amy Bergin's 100th career win as coach of the Fords.
